Emergency medical services have recently obtained a new weapon in providing immediate vascular access to the central circulation. This weapon is a small IO device for an IV that is drilled in the tibia just below the kneecap. The inventor, an emergency medical technician, has helped to place many of these I/O devices within individuals. Although the placement of the I/O device is easy, the devices can be accidentally knocked out easily. To solve this problem the inventor has devised a device that holds the needle in place and protects it when inadvertently bumped or knocked.
The new small IO has been created by Vidacare and is called EZ-IO intraosseous infusion system. The small IO is comprised of a hollow needle and a cap (catheter hub) that is designed to take a catheter from an IV or a needle for infusing medicine or liquids. The device is used when the patient has poor peripheral vasculature and for whose whom vascular access can be challenging. It is a quick and easy solution at the scene of an accident or on the battlefield where action must be immediate and the injured individual may not be in an ideal position. The EZ-IO is easy to place however it is also come out easily. To overcome this problem the inventor has developed a device that will hold the EZ-IO in place on the leg. The feature that enables the inventor's device to hold the EZ-IO is a device that constricts around the EZ-IO and a strap that encircle the leg to hold the constricting device and the EZ-IO in place on the leg.